1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in locating information in a visual image presentation system, and more particularly, to a visual image presentation system and method utilizing an index for locating and quickly accessing information in a continuous image presentation medium, and even more specifically, to a system and method using both printed material and a continuous image system in which the printed material is correlated to continuous image presentations.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The use of continuous image presentation media for presenting information, including for example, continuous motion picture films and the like, has been well known. In recent years, the use of a video medium, such as a video tape or video disk, used in conjunction with a video player has also received increased popularity as a means for presenting information. However, in each of these continuous image presentation media, there is no means for locating a segment in the tape or disk or motion picture film and rapidly accessing that segment of information. This is particularly true in the case of the video medium where the information contained on the medium is not initially in visible form and, in effect, is only in "machine readable form".
The concept of time coding a video tape has been previously used in producing video tapes for purposes of editing the same. When an organization is attempting to produce a video tape, the tape is encoded with a time code commencing from the beginning of the tape. Thus, the tape is encoded automatically with a digital code and which is non-visible to the user to provide a time elapse from the beginning of the tape. As an example, a selected segment of the tape may contain a code identifying 23 seconds into the tape from the beginning.
For purposes of editing, this timed code data can be retrieved and re-presented in a visible format on a time-code reader. In this way, for purposes of editing the tape, the editors can immediately locate information which they wish to delete from the video tape.
In recent years, the wide-spread use of video tape and disk players has given rise to the use of video tape and video disks as a means for presenting instructional material which was previously only contained in printed documents. The use of a video medium, particularly in conjunction with printed material not only speeds the assimilation of the material, but it also enables the party attempting to acquire such information to obtain a better and more complete understanding of the material which he or she is attempting to assimilate.
For many years, automotive vehicle manufacturers and other producers of equipment have provided manuals describing the use and operation and/or maintenance of the various equipment which they are producing and offering to the public. In the case of the automobile manufacturer, the manual will contain instructions on how to use the automobile, how to service the automobile, the time intervals at which services should be maintained, and general maintenance, as for example, changing of the oil, or changing of the tires, which may be performed by the owner.
Many of the manuals which are produced by these companies offering equipment usually contain pictorial illustrations in an attempt to further aid an understanding of the information which is conveyed. However, inasmuch as the illustrations are necessarily limited by both the amount of space in the manual and cost factors, it would be desirable to have additional media presenting illustrations.
The use of a video medium containing pictorial information along with the printed information ca be quite beneficial in presenting instructions on the play of a game. For example, if a tennis player desired to obtain more information on a certain type of swing, he or she could access an instructional manual and then locate the corresponding information on a video tape about that swing. This combination would be far more beneficial than mere printed information and two dimensional static illustrations alone.
The use of the video medium has been found to be a highly effective way of conveying information to parties attempting to assimilate this information. Moreover, when used in conjunction with a printed manual, the use of both mediums can be quite beneficial. However, one of the principle draw-backs of the use of both the printed material and the video tape medium is the fact that it is difficult to locate information in the tape medium which corresponds to the information in the printed manual. Thus, for example, if the user of the manual desires to change the oil of the vehicle and wants to obtain information about the changing of the oil, he or she can immediately address the printed manual provided with the automobile by the manufacturer. In like manner, the user would also examine the material contained in the video tape. However, heretofore there was no convenient means for locating and then retrieving that information from the video tape.
The use of a counter on a video tape player to locate a certain portion of a video tape is a poor technique as the counters on presently available video players are notoriously inaccurate. Moreover, even if the counters were accurate, the fact that the tape medium may expand or contract renders locating information on a video tape by a counter to be a fairly inaccurate process.
There have been other uses of time code information on video tapes, as for example, the presentation of a clock depicting time for a sporting activity. Thus, a clock depicting the amount of time for a particular race may be inset on the video tape frame so that the viewer can observe the activities of the race and simultaneously determine the amount of time elapsed from the beginning of the race.